Category: Academics

New exhibits and displays enhance STEAM-based learning experience at SC4’s visionary Experience Center

The evolution of St. Clair County Community College’s Experience Center continues with the addition of a new electromagnetic exhibit, Jacob’s Ladder, boulder rock garden, a Notable Women in Science display, 3D printer and installation of a gifted Tarbosaurus skeleton cast.

“Our goal is to consistently provide guests with new and exciting opportunities to engage in STEAM-based learning activities,” says Becky Gentner, SC4 executive director of budget and project management. “Among many other new exhibits, visitors can now investigate the power of electricity thanks to our Jacob’s Ladder as well as explore time, history and place thanks to the Tarbosaurus skeleton cast, which was provided by the SC4 Foundation and two Community Foundation of St. Clair County donor advised funds.

“We are again thrilled to expand our offerings and look forward to igniting passions for generations to come through this center.”

Located in the college’s Clara E. Mackenzie Building, the Experience Center already features interactive displays, traveling exhibits, 3-D pens and technology, a circuit center, a coding station, a virtual reality simulation, an augmented reality sandbox, a fossil dig area and larger-than-life exhibits in its Dr. Bassam H. Nasr Science Museum — including a woolly rhinoceros skeleton replica, T-Rex and Mastodon skull replicas.

SC4 announced its official partnership with the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and its Unity in Learning initiative on the 16,000-square-foot center in fall 2018. The center — the only one of its kind in the region — provides interactive teaching and learning opportunities for students and guests of all ages through exhibits, field trips and educational programming opportunities.

In less than one year of announcing the partnership, SC4 received an Innovation of the Year Award from the League for Innovation in the Community College for its work in establishing its interactive, STEAM-based Experience Center. The college won the award in the category of Community Engagement Education and Forward-thinking Partnerships.

“We are honored to receive this award,” said Dr. Snyder upon receiving the award. “The Experience Center is a place where students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members of all ages can feel engaged and inspired. We are grateful for the continued support, collaboration and leadership of our community, here on campus and far beyond.”

The Experience Center is a growing regional destination. A fee is charged to groups for a full experience at the center, including guided tours, additional hands-on opportunities, and access to technology exhibits. Individuals may drop in from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday for free and explore the exhibits on their own.

For more information on scheduling a visit or field trip, please send an email to experiencecenter@sc4.edu.

SC4 a transformative experience for world-traveling alumna nurse

Grace Titus says the degree in nursing she received from St. Clair County Community College has been life changing.

The Port Huron Northern High School graduate never dreamed it would take her to far-off places like Central America, Africa and the Middle East.

Titus, 32, lives in Chicago where she is currently training for a career in air medical/flight nursing.

“I decided to go into nursing in 2006 because I wanted to help others and learn about the human condition and the world,” she said. “I come from a family that values serving our community, and I knew I wanted to give back. From a practical standpoint, I needed an affordable educational option that would enable me to enter the workforce quickly. SC4 offered both the time frame and the affordability I was looking for.

“On the first day of school I fell in love with nursing, and for 11 years now I have worked and volunteered in many areas, anywhere from pediatrics to adult trauma. I have been fortunate enough to have been able to travel around the U.S. and also to places like Guatemala, Tanzania and Lebanon.”

Titus graduated from SC4 in 2008 with an associate degree in nursing (ADN) and went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan. She also earned a diploma in tropical nursing from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in England.

She said she was attracted by SC4’s size, affordability and reputation for providing excellent education.

“The price and the time frame were huge advantages, but the biggest asset I gained was the quality of education I received,” Titus said. “My nursing education at SC4 prepared me for what it’s really like to be a nurse. I also benefited from the smaller class sizes because I got to know my professors very well. One even generously nominated me for a scholarship. I have always been grateful for that. I’m also still friends with some of my classmates to this very day.”

Armed with her nursing degree, Titus has been able to assist in providing medical services across the globe.

“My degree allowed me to serve in the Peace Corps in Jamaica, participate in medical missions in Guatemala and Tanzania, and work with Doctors Without Borders on the Lebanon/Syria border,” Titus said. “I have had the honor to work in both adult and pediatric critical care and have been fortunate enough to work in facilities like the University of Michigan Hospital.”

Titus added she’s not sure where she would be today if she had taken a different path.

“If it were not for SC4’s accelerated and high-quality degree, I truly do not believe I would be in the place I am now,” Titus said. “My career has been an incredible adventure, and I can honestly say I truly love what I do.”

SC4 Open Education Resources initiative potentially saves 7,655 students more than $1.1 million since 2016

St. Clair County Community College remains committed to its open education resources (OER) efforts, which have now helped 7,655 students potentially save more than $1.1 million since 2016.

OER include freely accessible, openly licensed text, media and other digital assets that can increase student learning and success while reducing the cost of higher education.

Since SC4 began tracking in Fall 2016, faculty members teaching 393 sections of 39 different courses in biology, business, criminal justice, earth science, English, health education, history, math, philosophy, physics courses and more have adopted either open educational resources or alternatives to textbooks, accounting for the savings. Faculty members teaching 59 sections of 19 courses contributed to the savings in the fall 2019 semester alone.

Additionally, many SC4 faculty members have received pilot awards for their OER innovation, including Biology Instructor Brandis Hubbard, who was recognized for a series of videos she developed for one of her courses.

“Embracing the creation and use of OER gives us the opportunity to encourage collaboration and creativity while also addressing textbook affordability to ensure our students have access to the resources they need to be successful,” said SC4 Dean of Library Services and Academic Technology Kendra Lake. “As the support for OER continues to grow across the state and the nation, being an integral part of the larger OER community will continue to benefit our students.”

Other SC4 OER efforts include:

  • Participation in the Michigan Colleges Online OER Commons hub, an OER discovery and curation tool that’s free for faculty members.
  • An OER team consisting of faculty, librarians and staff which aims to encourage and support open pedagogy across the college.
  • Active involvement and participation in the annual MI OER Summit. SC4 welcomed more than 200 practitioners and advocates as host to the summit in 2018. This year, Adjunct History Instructor Ryan Johnson and Lake will present their experiences at the Oct. 18 event at Delta College. Many more SC4 faculty and staff will attend.
  • A permanent OER textbook display available to faculty in the college’s library.
  • A custom OER Library Research Guide, featuring a curated list of OER resources by discipline, open access content search with a list of OER repositories, links to open education research and much more.

SC4 radiologic technology students win top honors at statewide competition

St. Clair County Community College Class of 2020 radiologic technology students recently competed in the Michigan Society of Radiologic Technologists Annual Student Academic Competition in Bay City, Mich. SC4 student Taylor Kreger (shown above holding the trophy) earned first place, while SC4 students Danielle Sawyer (above right) and Katelyn Vespie (above left) won third and fourth place, respectively.

IMG_1123 (1).PNGSC4 students competed against students from a number of radiologic technology programs across Michigan. Students were tasked with special preparation sessions and assignments to be ready for the event.

“This competition comes at a good time in the program,” said SC4 Program Director Monica Rowling. “It helps prepare students early for their national certifying exam. Taylor, Danielle and Katelyn represented SC4 well and should be very proud of their accomplishments!”

As this year’s winner, Kreger won $250, a plaque, medallion and the right to display the competition trophy until next year’s competition. Sawyer won $75, a plaque and medallion, and Vespie was awarded a medallion.

SC4’s radiologic technology program is increasingly known for the high-quality education it provides to its students. SC4 radiologic technology students recently helped continue for a sixth year the program’s impressive 100 percent passing rate on the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) exam by taking and passing the exam on their first try.

SC4 Dean of Health Sciences Jenny Giles-Voss commented on the program’s perfect record on the national registry exam in a past SC4 news release.

“A perfect record like this is incredibly rare,” Giles-Voss said. “It illustrates the high level of commitment we have to our students in ensuring they are ready to thrive in this career path upon graduation.

“Specifically, Monica has had a remarkable record of preparing skilled radiographers in our region. We are fortunate to have her and our amazing team of faculty experts teaching future generations of health care professionals.”